Shorthanded RSL loses 5-0 at San Jose in battle for MLS supremacy

Claret-and-Cobalt Concede Four after Beckerman Ejected in 57th; Suffer 2nd-Worst Defeat in Team History

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Saturday, July 14, 2012) – Real Salt Lake (11-7-3, 36 points, West #2) couldn’t make the third time the charm against the San Jose Earthquakes (12-4-4, 40 points, West #1) on Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium, giving up four goals after captain Kyle Beckerman was shown a straight red card in the 57thminute to lose 5-0 and drop their third game of the season to the ‘Quakes. MLS leading scorer Chris Wondolowski scored a hat trick to lead first-place San Jose to victory – he now has 17 goals on the year.

RSL started the game uncharacteristically poorly, struggling to connect passes against San Jose’s full-field pressure and looking a little sloppy in the back. The fast-paced, direct style of the game favored the Earthquakes, which went ahead through Wondolowski in the 18th minute. Wondolowski – the 2010 and 2011 MLS Golden Boot winner – took advantage of some confusion in the box to put San Jose on top, heading home a bouncing ball from point blank range following a corner kick from San Jose MF Marvin Chavez.

San Jose continued attacking after taking the lead, nearly scoring on several other occasions in the first half. Conversely, RSL couldn’t find much of anything in the Earthquakes’ final third, struggling to string attacks together throughout the opening frame.

Still, RSL was very much in the game at halftime, trailing just 1-0 at the break. Hopes were raised when the Claret-and-Cobalt started the second half brightly, holding much more of the ball and creating a few half chances in the first few minutes of the final stanza.

But things changed in a big way in the 57th minute, when Beckerman was shown a straight red card for his role in a scuffle at midfield. The fracas started when San Jose MF Sam Cronin took out RSL playmaker Javier Morales, and heated up when Beckerman knocked Cronin to the ground with a retaliatory tackle.

Beckerman’s challenge – which was called a foul by referee Allen Chapman – led to multiple players from both teams engaging in a shoving match at midfield. Beckerman was initially at the center of things, but was seemingly pulled away by Chapman before anything too serious happened. Still, the RSL captain was shown a red card – San Jose’s Victor Bernardez and Justin Morrow both earned yellows – leaving his team down a man for the final 32 minutes.

San Jose quickly took advantage of their numerical superiority, going up 2-0 in the 63rd minute. FW Alan Gordon notched the goal, tapping in a rebound after Bernardez headed a set piece off of RSL GK Nick Rimando’s right post.

Wondolowski put the Earthquakes up 3-0 10 minutes later, losing RSL DF’s Jamison Olave and Kwame Watson-Siriboe to flick home a cross from San Jose MF Shea Salinas. Things got worse for RSL in the 79th, when substitute MF Simon Dawkins tapped home a Wondolowski header off of a corner kick to give the Earthquakes a 4-0 lead.

Wondolowski completed his hat trick less than a minute after Dawkins’ goal, latching onto a through ball from substitute FW Khari Stphenson at the top of the box before burying a shot inside the far post to make it 5-0.

RSL will look to bounce back from Saturday’s humbling defeat on July 21st, when they’ll host the Colorado Rapids in the second of three Rocky Mountain Cup matches this year. RSL will clinch the Cup by winning that match, which will be shown live on CW30 starting at 8:00 p.m. MT.

The 5-0 margin of defeat is the second-worst in RSL’s eight-year history and the just the fourth time that the Claret-and-Cobalt have given up five or more goals in a game. The last time RSL conceded at least five goals was on Aug. 26, 2006, when the club lost 6-0 to the New York Red Bulls after going down a man in the 8thminute.

Beckerman’s red card was just his third in 288 career MLS games. The all-action defensive midfielder will serve a one-game red card suspension during RSL’s match against Colorado on July 21. It will be the second time in five games that Beckerman will miss a match due to suspension – he missed RSL’s 2-0 loss at Columbus on June 30 due to yellow card accumulation.

Beckerman’s ejection means that RSL had players sent off both times it played at Buck Shaw Stadium this year, as both Olave and FW Fabian Espindola were shown red cards during RSL’s 3-1 loss at San Jose on April 21.

RSL was without three starters due to injury, missing regular DF’s Nat Borchers (left quadriceps strain) and Tony Beltran (aggravation of an adductor injury) and usual MF starter Ned Grabavoy (left adductor strain). Recent acquisitions Watson-Siriboe and Kenny Mansally filled in for Borchers and Beltran, respectively, while MF Luis Gil started for Grabavoy.

Despite Saturday’s loss, RSL’s point total of 36 is still the second-best mark through 21 games in franchise history, trailing the pace set by the 2010 squad by just three points.

New RSL FW – and Salt Lake City native – Justin Braun made the 18-man roster just three days after being acquired via trade with Montreal. Braun did not make it into the match.

Real Salt Lake returns to Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday, July 21, when the team will continue its battle for the Rocky Mountain Cup against the rival Colorado Rapids. Tickets for the rivalry match – which will feature post-game fireworks in honor of Pioneer Day – can be purchased at www.RealSaltLake.com or by calling (801) 727.2701.